Sorry, Charlie Sheen, You Didn't Invent Tiger Blood

While “Tiger Blood” may be one of the most beloved “Sheenisms,” it looks like the 45-year-old actor isn’t the first to coin the phrase, or the drink. Charlie Sheen may have introduced it the whole country, however, “Tiger Blood” is a a favorite flavor of shaved-ice (used in sno-cones) served up in the South and has been around for decades!

Just ask Gary Herring, owner of HawaiianShavedIce.com, a North Carolina–based online company that sells about a hundred thousand gallons of shave-ice syrup in 85 flavors every year.

Herring told New York mag’s Vulture blog that his Tiger Blood was always one of his best sellers, and is now No. 9 out of 89 thanks to Charlie!

Charlie’s version of Tiger Blood may be Ritual Cleanse, “the only cleanse program available that combines 100% organic, raw juices with special formulations that enable you to workout while cleansing,” according to the natural product’s website.

And Diddy’s version may include Ciroc, but the original Tiger Blood shave-ice is a mix of cherry, strawberry, and watermelon syrups with “a hint of coconut.”

“You’ll have a crowd of people who’ll cling to having created it, but there’s always been Tiger’s Blood,” Herring told Vulture. “It originated in the Texas area at least 25 years ago. It’s definitely a Southern thing: Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina, mostly. But we sell to Pennsylvania too.”

Last year, Herring said he sold 5,000 gallons of Tiger Blood last year, and maybe the 2011 numbers will increase thanks to Charlie, but who seems to be the butt of many jokes in Herring’s industry.

“If you want to make a ‘Charlie Sheen,’ you just need a cup of shave-ice, pour the Tiger’s Blood over it,” he said. “Of course, instead of cocaine, we use citric acid to give it some bite. Or Pop Rocks is what we’d serve to the kids.”